Liveblog 9: Spring Training

I haven't talked about baseball here since the Yankees were eliminated last October, and a lot has changed since then. George Steinbrenner's sons have taken a more active role running the team, especially Hank, who has been all over the news with his unnecessary but often humorous comments about every topic imaginable. Joe Torre is out west now managing the Dodgers, and my personal choice for his replacement, Joe Girardi, has taken the role. A lot of players have come into camp in much better shape than last year, and the whole team is being worked harder. It gives me some confidence that it will be a good season, with the players maybe having the drive they haven't recently to go out and win.

Doug Mientkiewicz, Andy Phillips, Luis Vizcaino, Matt DeSalvo, Colter Bean, and Tyler Clippard are all gone. LaTroy Hawkins, Morgan Ensberg, and various minor league players are in, most of them fighting for the extra spots on the roster. Roger Clemens is too busy lying to Congress to play baseball, and Andy Pettitte has come clean, already having been embraced again by the fans. After opting out of his contract, Alex Rodriguez had a change of heart and resigned with the team, but not before again breaking the record for biggest contract in the sport's history. Derek Jeter is seeing something uncommon for him: criticism, especially of his defense, thanks to a new study. While I'm not sure I agree with the assessment that he's one of the worst, he definitely could be better and anything that motivates him to improve is all right with me. The front office broke from their usual ways and signed Robinson Cano to a long term deal instead of dealing with arbitration, and I think it's a great move. I'd like to see more improvement in his patience, but I think he's one of the top 3 second basemen in the majors already and can only get better.

A lot of experts and analysts favor the Red Sox in the divison after their World Series victory, which is fair (although PECOTA likes New York), and puts the Yankees in a position they haven't seen recently: playoff underdogs. It seems like they're being dismissed pretty quickly, but I'm confident that what is basically the same offense that led the league in runs last season will do it again thanks to improved conditioning, and the pitching staff will be better thanks to the emergence of all the young talent they've been drafting the last few years. You can't expect a rotation that will potentially have three pitchers with less than a full year of big league experience in it by June to be consistent winners, but I have a lot of faith in their ability and apparent work ethic they've shown so far. Ian Kennedy will start and Joba Chamberlain will relieve for a couple innings today on YES and ESPN, and I'll be here recapping their work and probably trying to make some funny comments.

Top 1 - Ian Kennedy's on the mound, warming up. ESPN's guys are asking the normal questions about their rotation. If you're wondering why I'm not watching YES, it's not because ESPN's any less terrible, I just don't hear their brand of terrible as often so I'm taking the opportunity to avoid YES' terrible. Carloz Gomez, who the Twins got as part of the awful Johan Santana trade, bunts out to Betemit at third on the second pitch. Brendan Harris, who they got as part of the much more interesting Matt Garza trade, singles through the hole on the left side. Comparing Ian Kennedy to Greg Maddux kind of makes sense as long as you're not referring to a young Maddux, because Ian's stuff is already pretty pedestrian while Maddux used to have a much more impressive repetoire. But that groundball double play off Joe Mauer's bat shows why Kennedy could be pretty successful anyway.

Bottom 1 - The Yankee lineup is pretty close to what it will probably be for most of the season, with Wilson Betemit instead of Hideki Matsui. Johnny Damon flies out quickly. He's another guy who came into camp much healthier than last year, but for some reason I'm pessimistic about how he'll fare this season. Jeter singles the other way as he is wont to do. Bobby Abreu grounds into a force, and it might have been a double play with smarter defense. Kevin Slowey walks A-Rod. Slowey has pretty decent stuff, and is one of the young guys expected to fill multiple holes in the Twins' rotation. There's an easy sex joke in there but I don't care. He strikes out Jason Giambi looking with a nice pitch on the outside corner.

Top 2 - Girardi's having a nice conversation with the guys in the booth. Turns out the first big league game he caught was started by one of the commentators. Small world. Justin Morneau fouls off a few pitches before lazily flying out to center. Delmon Young hit a 3-1 pitch over the wall in straight away center. He was the centerpiece of that Garza trade. Could work on his plate discipline but he can smack the ball. Joe says it's not even set in stone that Joba begins the year in the bullpen, which is good to hear. Anyone who thinks he should be a closer instead of a starter without even seeing him start is just being closed minded. Giambi leaps and snares a line drive that was screaming over his head. If he can consistently play first base this year, that's huge. Someone I've never heard of grounds out to Jeter, and Giambi stays with the offline throw to end the inning. They just said the biopsy on Bobby Murcer showed it was just scar tissue, which is good news. Guy's a fighter. Man, that Dick's commercial with David Ortiz is terrible.

Bottom 2 - Jorge Posada, old catcher extraordinare, flies out to Young, who almost loses the ball in the sun. Cano's up. I think one of the guys just said he's known to bunt, which does not compute. Instead, he doubles over the centerfielder's head. Betemit does the exact same thing, and the game is tied. Melky Cabrera strikes out on three pitches. I like the guy, but I don't see him as an everyday player in the future right now. Betemit gets to third on a wild pitch. Damon squeezes a single past Harris and the Yankees take a 2-1 lead. Damon steals second easily as the ball's in the dirt. No matter, as Jeter draws a walk. Abreu singles to drive in Johnny, and the throw from Gomez is awful, letting the runners advance. Rodriguez swings through a fastball to end a rough inning for Slowey.

Top 3 - Heath Phillips induces a grounder and records the out himself, in relief of Kennedy. He strikes out the next guy and gets a broken bat grounder on the next. Quick inning. The booth guys were talking to the Twins' manager and I don't think they even said his name. I had to check who it was online.

Bottom 3 - Now they give him credit. He's fighting to be the requisite lefty in the bullpen this year. Julio DePaula in for the Twins. Giambi loops a single the other way, which he's hoping to do more of this year. I don't have much of a problem with straight-pull home runs to the upper deck, myself. DePaula balks while the cameras are looking at big Hank. How that little motion is a balk and Andy Pettitte's ridiculous pickoff move isn't is still a mystery to me. Jorge works the count full before popping out to right. They just showed the Yankees' splits for the first and second half of the season last year, and I'm surprised to see they actually pitched a little worse in the second half. They won way more often, but that's thanks to scoring two more runs per game. Cano singles up the middle and Giambi is surprisingly sent home, scoring thanks to another bad Gomez throw, but it's cut off and Cano is tagged out trying to reach second. Betemit strikes out to end the inning. He does that a lot.

Top 4 - Joba's in, and he's going to pitch two or three innings. Fastball's 92-93 right now. I wonder how much of the 98-99 he was throwing last year was adrenaline and how much was knowing he wasn't going to throw many pitches. He gets to 3-0 on Harris on three heaters but throws two more in the zone and gets a ground out. Mauer grounds out on a nice little changeup. Two curves for balls. Someone who faced him in the eighth inning last September would be very confused right now. He walks Morneau. He works Young with mostly offspeed stuff before getting a groundout to Betemit. Not a great inning, but he did his job.

Bottom 4 - New Twins pitcher is Randy Keisler. Melky K's again. Damon grounds to second. Jeter dinks a single past Harris, and he's reached base all three times. Another wild pitch moves him to second. Abreu pops out to center, on to the fifth.

Top 5 - Joba's control was off before, let's see if he's better now. Brian Buscher clubs a single to right field. Right now the announcers are piling on Giambi's defense. It's one thing to say he can't throw, which is true, but they're saying he's not going to be saving the other infielders many errors. Hey, the guy's a statue, but he can scoop a ball pretty good. Joba throws his best pitch of the day, striking out the batter looking with a 95 mph heater on the inside corner. Garrett Jones clobbers a two run home run, 4-3 game. The next pitch is an errant fastball, hitting the batter. Joba's allowed as many baserunners as outs. They're saying he might have hit him on purpose. Really? In spring training? I think Joba's already getting a headhunter reputation he might not deserve. Gomez pops out to short center. Harris grounds into a force out, inning over. The announcers think Joba might begin the season as a starter, and say they were surprised Girardi didn't mention Mussina as a lock for the rotation. I don't know, I'm not surprised a 39 year old with an ERA over 5 last year has to prove himself.

Bottom 5 - Rodriguez pops out. Giambi almost got an infield single, but was thrown out. Posada grounds out on a 3-1 pitch, another good inning for Keisler.

Top 6 - Jon Albaladejo, acquired from the Nationals for Tyler Clippard, starts the inning, and allows a double to Mauer. Morneau flies to center, and Melky picks off Mauer's pinch runner trying to reach third. Albaladejo has an interesting delivery, he just rears back and slings the ball towards the plate. Young singles to right. New batter strikes out and that's the inning.

Bottom 6 - Cano singles up the middle off new pitcher Dennys Reyes. He's a good hitter. Betemit hits what could be a double play ball but the throw is bad and everyone's safe. After failing to lay down a bunt, Melky grounds into a double play. Two outs, runner on third. New hitter Shelley Duncan strikes out to end the frame.

Top 7 - The first pitch is lined out. Albaladejo's still pitching. He gives up a single. It looked to me like Posada threw out the runner on a botched hit-and-run, but he was somehow called safe despite not even sliding. Infield single off Nick Green's glove allows the runner to score, tie game. Another stolen base. Apparently Posada still has to get his arm in shape. Strikeout on a check swing with a full count. New pitcher's coming in, it's Edwar Ramirez, who gets another punch out, end of the inning.

Bottom 7 - Famed blogging sidearmer Pat Neshek in to pitch for the Twins. He induces a checkswing groundout. Non-roster hanger-on Jason Lane pops out. Pinch hitter Greg Porter whiffs and the inning's over.

Top 8 - Changeup wizard Edwar's still pitching. He walks the first batter. The next grounds into a potential double play, but Green botches the throw and they only get one. Edwar drills the third batter. I wouldn't be surprised to see some retaliation now. They comment on how Joba has great command and just gave up a homer so it was probably on purpose, but Ramirez just has some nerves. Where is this mystical tale of Joba having pinpoint command coming from? He has very good control for such a power pitcher, but a few are gonna get away now and then. Morgan Ensberg eats up a grounder at third but can't make an out, the bases are juiced with one gone. A double down the right field line scores two for the Twins, 6-4. Rough inning, but he's been a bit unlucky. He's somewhat of an enigma, with eye-popping numbers in the minors but so far he's failed to consistently get outs in the majors. Colin Curtis makes a nice diving catch in left, runner tags up and scores. Edwar's being relieved by Chris Britton, who apparently didn't jump on the lose-weight bandwagon. Runner steals third off new catcher Francisco Cervelli. Guy in the booth mentions he'd take Jake Peavy if he had to win one game. Odd, since Peavy's a bit notorious for failing in important spots. Grounder to Green for the third out.

Bottom 8 - Curtis grounds to first, Cervelli to the other corner. Green does it up the middle, very quick and symmetrical inning.

Top 9 - Britton's still in, induces a fly to center. He's not flashy, but seems to get outs, and it's a crime he was stuck in the minors all last year while crappy veterans gave up runs. That's it for him, Ross Ohlendorf will try to finish it. Strikes out the hitter looking on a good breaking ball. Next one grounds a single through the left side. Another strikeout, this time swinging, and Ross looked pretty good.

Bottom 9 - Last chance for the Yankees to preserve their spotless spring training loss record. Oswaldo Sosa trying for the save. Ensberg pops to shallow center. Brett Gardner is batting. He grounds to second. Duncan up again. He cranks that Soulja Boy for a home run, deficit's down to two. Chris Woodward smacks a single, the Yankees are still alive. Lane up. Strikes out looking, game over.

Wrap-Up - The loss makes the Yankees 3-1 this Spring, with one tie. Obviously the results don't matter, but it's a little encouraging that they're doing pretty good. The young pitchers couldn't hold the lead today, but it's early, and I'm sure that by the home opener against Toronto they'll be confident in the pitching staff they end up with.